News and Views

A Warning for dog owners about the use of certain types of garden mulch

sent to us by Ali Taylor, Head of Welfare, Battersea Dogs Home

Yesterday one of our dog agility friends experienced a tragedy and wanted me to pass a special message along to all of my dog loving friends and family. Please tell every dog owner you know.

Over the weekend the doting owner of two young lab mixes purchased Cocoa Mulch from Target to use in their garden. They loved the way it smelled and it was advertised to keep cats away from their garden.

Their dog Calypso decided that the mulch smelled good enough to eat and devoured a large helping. She vomited a few times which was typical when she eats something new but wasn't acting lethargic in any way. The next day, Mum woke up and took Calypso out for her morning walk. Half way through the walk, she had a seizure and died instantly.

Although the mulch had NO warnings printed on the label, upon further investigation on the company's website, this product is HIGHLY toxic to dogs and cats.

Cocoa Mulch is manufactured by Hershey's, and they claim that "It is true that studies have shown that 50% of the dogs that eat Cocoa Mulch can suffer physical harm to a variety of degrees (depending on each individual dog). However, 98% of all dogs won't eat it."

Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman's Garden Supply and other Garden supply stores, contains a lethal ingredient called
"Theobromine".  Theobromine is the ingredient that is used to make all chocolate especially dark or baker's chocolate which is toxic to dogs.
It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs. They will ingest this stuff and die.
Several deaths already occurred in the last 2-3 weeks. Just a word of caution, check what you are using in your gardens and be aware of what your gardeners are using in your gardens.

Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline. A
dog that ingested a lethal quantity of garden mulch made from cacao bean shells developed severe convulsions and died 17 hours later. Analysis of
the stomach contents and the ingested cacao bean shells revealed the presence of lethal amounts of theobromine.
 

In essence, by joining a 'club', members will be able to 'rent' time with a dog of their choice on an hourly, daily, weekly, (whatever) basis. The businesses that are offering this service profit from exploiting human self indulgence and the dogs vulnerability and helplessness in law.

MP, David Drew has tabled an Early Day Motion on 4th July 08 (EDM 1699), calling upon the House of Commons to act on this matter as it is obviously of great concern to anyone who has the interest of dogs at heart and is against exploitation of animals in principal.

The EDM is as follows -

That this House expresses concern about the operation of the dog rental company, FlexPetz, which has opened in London with the intention to expand to various cities across the United Kingdom; acknowledges that the UK dog rental business is currently very small but recognises the potential for its growth due to the increase in fashion accessory dogs; disapproves of causing distress to dogs as a result of them being rented out to numerous people; believes that this encourages irresponsible attitudes to dog ownership; further believes that dog renting is, or should be, a breach of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in that it is highly likely to inhibit dogs from having the ability to exhibit normal behaviour patterns; further disapproves of renting dogs for profit; calls on the Government to take action to ensure compliance with the Animal Welfare Act; and thanks the Kennel Club for drawing attention to this issue.

At the point of writing this article, the motion had 5 signatories - progress can be followed here -  http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=35983&SESSION=891

In order to progress into Parliamentary consideration, this EDM needs as many signatories as it can get, so we ask you to contact your local MP by any means possible and ask them to support EDM 1699 by adding their name as signatory.

Please lets nip this sort of exploitation in the bud.

It is morally, ethically and humanely wrong to expose any animal to this sort of exploitation and to allow it to be done - for profit or not -  is a sad reflection on the humanity of any society.

What next - Rent a Child?

The Settle-Carlisle railway line came very near to closure in the 1980s.   32,000 people and a dog (a fare paying passenger) objected.   The dog was Ruswarp, a Border Collie owned by Graham Nuttall, co-founder of the Friends of the line.   After years of campaigning, the line was reprieved in 1989 and, such is demand, its capacity is about to double – a remarkable turn of fortune.

Graham Nuttall and Ruswarp were inseparable.   On 20^th January 1990 they went walking in the hills, but failed to return.   Graham’s body was found on 7^th April.   His faithful dog Ruswarp had stayed with him for 11 winter weeks.   The case attracted much attention at the time – the RSPCA honoured Ruswarp and were inundated with offers to care for him.   He lived just long enough to be at his master’s funeral.

An appeal has now been launched to commission a bronze statue of Ruswarp, to have a place of honour at Garsdale station, Graham’s favourite place, near to the summit of the Settle-Carlisle Line.   This coincides with restoration of the station by Network Rail.   It will symbolise the campaign to save the line, its subsequent success and the loyalty of ‘man’s best friend’.   If you would like to make a donation, send a cheque payable to ‘The Ruswarp Memorial Fund’, to Project Officer Josie Perriman, Foresters Cottage, 2 Howson’s Yard, Settle BD24 2EG.   Or visit www.settle-carlisle.com/webshop, The link will take you to the Ruswarp Appeal.

Please visit www.bansnares.com where you can quickly and easily support this campaign.

Advocates for Animals is requesting people write to Michael Russell MSP asking him to use his powers under the Nature Conservation Act to bring an Order in the Scottish Parliament that would ban cruel and indiscriminate snares once and for all

31 October 2007

Man prosecuted for dangerous dog

A man has been prosecuted under the Dangerous Dogs Act after his Border Collie bit a member of the public.

Mark Osborne, 44, of Woodlands Drive, Thetford appeared before magistrates at Swaffham yesterday and pleaded guilty to being in charge of the dog that was dangerously out of control on May 6 at The Woodlands in Thetford.

He was given an 18-month conditional discharge and both he and his wife Julie, 43, were made subject of a control order under the Dogs Act 1871.

The dog must now be kept secure within their home and be kept on a lead, muzzled and handled by an adult when it is taken out.

The couple were also ordered to pay £500 costs to Breckland Council.

Speaking after the court case Kay Fisher, Breckland executive member for the environment, said: “Breckland takes its responsibilities about dangerous dogs very seriously.

“The council promotes responsible pet ownership but will not hesitate to take action if owners let their dogs out of control and present a danger to members of the public.”

Video of Sally and 5 of her pups.

Music - 'Puppy Walk' - provide by 'Om'

Music - 'Song for Hope' - provided by 'Eskimo' - www.eskimomusic.com

A two-year-old Border Collie Ozzie was found by an RSPCA officer in St John's Lane, Bedminster, with horrific burn injuries over his face and body, hours after going missing from his owner's house nearby.

6th April 2007 - Animal Welfare Act 2006 - now in force. Happy Easter Furry friends!

Hopefully we will now get less calls from people saying "I witnessed 'such and such' and told the RSPCA, but they said that as the dog had shelter, food and water, there was nothing they could do!" Now - if a dog is likely to suffer they can do something about it.

To see a PDF copy of the act, click on the link below. Read it - it affects you and your pets. They now have legal rights.

The House of Lords has forced the Government to reconsider the exceptions to the ban on tail docking by rejecting the proposed law with its current exemptions.

The RSPCA has publicly condemned the regulations that allow certain working dogs to be docked and do not believe exceptions are necessary.

The ban will come into force at the end of March in Wales and on 6th of April in England, as part of the Animal Welfare Act. The current wording would have allowed exemptions for working dogs only in England and Wales. In Scotland the law does not allow any exemption.

RSPCA sources say that the charity "remains committed to the view that any exemption to a ban on the cruel and painful act of tail docking, except for medical reasons, is totally unnecessary. This has been demonstrated in countries such as Sweden, where a full ban has been successfully implemented since 1989."

The Council for Docked Breeds have made it known that they oppose a ban on the docking of dogs tails and have said that a number of their members will simply cease breeding rather than comply with the law. As a ban on docking will effectively make the CDB redundant it is not surprising they oppose the ban and the UK could certainly do with less dogs being bred so all in all the new law looks like it will have a beneficial effect in other areas as well as ending a rather archaic and unnecessary practice of human mutilation of an animal.

In the "old days" docking became common practice as a form of tax avoidance. It was applied to working dogs to mark them as exempt from taxation levied on pet dogs. Many people docked the tails of their pets simply to avoid tax. Many of our "traditionally" docked breeds have sprung from this rather unsavory practice,  as has the CDB.

If exemptions are allowed there is no doubt that a lot of people will seek to claim that their dogs are 'working' dogs and therefore exempt, not for tax avoidance this time but simply from a personal conviction that a docked dog looks better than a dog with a tail. When are we humans going to accept that although we can control animals simply because we have physical, mental or technical advantages over them we don't have the right to bully and mutilate them.

Sad world that we have to force people to act like civilised humans by legislation.

CDB Suggest RSPCA Accept Democracy

Story Source - Politics.co.uk

15 February, 2007

The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has served the first improvement notice to a horse owner in Ayrshire under the Animal Welfare Act.

Owner Gordon McPhail, of Torrenyard, Ayrshire, was served with an improvement notice by a Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals inspector on 24 January, after his six mares and three foals were found in a poor condition in a field strewn with debris.

International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH) field officer Adam Fleming was present when the notice was served.

"It gave the owner a real shock," he said. "He was given five days in which to rectify their situation and, when we revisited him after two days, there was a massive improvement in care."

The Animal Welfare Act came into being in Scotland last October — it comes into effect in England on 6 April.

Story Source - Horse and Hound

Hampshire Urban Search and Rescue dog looks for people trapped in East London building collapse

A SPECIALIST search and rescue dog from Hampshire is helping efforts to uncover people trapped in a collapsed building in East London.

Border collie Byron has been at the scene in Whitechapel since 8.45pm last night (Tuesday), aiding firefighters combing the rubble.

London fire brigade were called to Commercial Road at 4.39pm yesterday after the four storey property collapsed during refurbishment.
They later called-in 23-month-old Byron and his handler Station Manager Robin Furniss to assist.

Byron, part of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service's Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team, has been specially trained to search collapsed buildings and is being used alongside specialist listening equipment to locate anyone trapped in the debris.

Ten adults and one child have been treated at the scene for shock but it is not yet clear whether anyone remains inside.

Byron trained for 14 months for his role in Hampshire's USAR, which is one of the first fully-operational units able to attend major incidents and catastrophies including terrorist attacks and natural disasters.

Story Source - Newbury Today

A petition has been registered urging the Prime Minister to introduce legislation to ban puppy farming in the UK so if you want to see and end to this offensive means of 'cash cropping' mans best friend then you should use the link below -

Channel 5 News have produced a feature on our own Nicki Oliver for their New Year series called 'Local Hero'. Click here for more details and a link to the video feature.

Listen to a Boxing Day interview with Nicki Oliver from Border Collie Rescue on Radio Ryedale.

Started to birth this morning at 4.30 am - the above photo, taken at 11 am, shows her with her pups - hopefully no more to come. Sally came from a farm that is to be sold due to circumstances beyond the control of the owners. Rather than sell Sally and the pups it was decided that she should be passed over to BCR so that she could have the pups with us and we could find new working homes for her and them all in due course. The Sire of these pups is "Garcia's Ben".

This makes the gesture of handing her over to BCR particularly altruistic as they had already turned down generous cash offers for Sally. One person wanted to buy her so they could sell the pups on the agility circuit.

The comment was made that although they could really use the money, they thought it better that the pups were re-homed by BCR as we would be sure to get them into the right sort of homes and ensure a good future for them. She was passed onto us in plenty of time to settle in, get to know and trust us and permit us to assist with the birth.

Sally says "it's all been a bit of an exhausting business - time for a nap!"

Above - 6th September 2006 - One week Old

6th September 2006 - Larger than life!

Sally has been under CCTV observation since she arrived, and her pups since they were born. The camera has microphone and infra red night vision so we can hear them and still see them in complete darkness. We can keep an eye on them all from the BCR office, the centre kitchen / staff room and staff bedroom. It was by these means that overnight volunteers were alerted to the birth and were able to assist. The use of CCTV also means that our centre visitors can observe them without disturbing them or alarming Sally.

After only one week they have all grown so much that, together, they mass more than a third of their mothers weight !

We use CCTV to enable us to observe dogs without their knowledge, which means that we can watch them without affecting their behaviour. In this way we can learn a lot about the way they naturally interact and in the case of Sally and previous mothers with litters, the way they look after their young. So far sally has proved to be a good mother and we have observed her moving the pups around with her nose so they all get their fair share of feeding opportunities.

She seems to have paid particular attention to the smaller pups, making sure they have had extra opportunities to feed. Now, by size comparison and after only one week, it is difficult to see which pups were originally born smaller than the others.

Above - 13th September 2006 - Now 2 weeks old.

Eyes are all open and average weight of each of them is just below a kilogram. Had their first dose of wormer today with follow up doses over the next two days. Sally also wormed today. The pups are still unsteady on their legs but are able to get around well enough. Two of them have started to explore their environment, but the other six are still inclined to stick close to mum!

Above - 13th September 2006

Above - 13th September 2006

We have heard some attempts at growling, one has actually barked a few times (but will need to do a bit more work on it to be taken seriously) and they have started to engage in a bit of play fighting to pass the time.

There is already a certain amount of bonding going on with two pairs emerging - one quiet and one adventurous. The pairs are both made up of one dog and one bitch.

Above - 13th September 2006 - Innocence personified!

Below - Saturday 16th September 2006 - now 17 days old - Average weight just over 1KG

All seem very content and secure - exploring, eating and sleeping................. lots of sleeping.

To identify the Pups we have given them all temporary names, although for the first few weeks they will all be known as 'Pup'. The collective identity is useful when trying to attract their attention once they start to roam and particularly when they are old enough to go outside into the 'Puppy Garden' set aside for them. Calling them individually will be problematic but of they all respond to 'Pup' then the one word should get their attention and we will then encourage them to come back to us on that word.

We only use their individual names to identify them to each other when we are talking about them within BCR - we usually directly address puppies as 'Pup' until they are re-homed and leave the new owner to choose a name themselves.

Above - 16th September 2006

When all eight are seen together with Sally, the pups collective mass seems to be more than hers!

Their temporary chosen names are -

Boys : Cap, Moss, Jon and Sweep. - Girls : Jill, Jen, Gyp and Trim.

The pups are now responding to us when they see us and the bolder ones are attempting to walk towards us when we appear.

Above - Sunday 18th September

Below -  21st September

Now we're in trouble!

Now just a day over three weeks old, they are steady on their feet and wandering all around the room they occupy. They still spend a lot of the day asleep, but when they are awake they are exploring their surroundings, playing and generally making a fair bit of noise! We keep them under close observation using CCTV which feeds several sets around the centre. An interesting aspect of human behavior has become apparent - puppy watching is compulsive and addictive. Volunteers and visitors alike are glued to the screen in the kitchen. No-one can pass through without stopping and watching for a few seconds. Tea breaks are now spent standing in the kitchen watching the pups - even if they are asleep and not moving we all line up and stare at the screen.

Now very adventurous and also getting very people orientated, the pups are 4 weeks old at the time of the photo's below.

They are now supplementing mothers milk with rice pudding twice daily. Today they also get their routine Panacur worming.

Who, Me ?

They have become paper trained -

Taught by Mum to cover all eventualities!

The pup in the foreground is Moss - easily recognised by the M shape at the top of his blaze - Behind him is Cap with a little black spot in the centre of his blaze at the top of his head. Moss and Cap are the most forthcoming and adventurous but Cap has an unusual quality in one so young - that of quiet curiosity and silent observation.

The pups are in a small room just off our main education room which also doubles as a dog accommodation room. Cap watches everything that goes on through the doorway when it is left open. This remote exposure to all the people and dogs passing through the room is helping the pups become accustomed to new sounds, other dogs and strange people without the potential hazards of direct contact. In another 4 weeks they will get their first vaccination. Two weeks after that the second stage. Then they can mix with the rest of the population without the danger of catching some nasty bug.

By that time they should be quite well socialised and ready to meet the friends they can see in the distance.

Above - 27th September 2006

It is with great regret and heavy hearts that we report the sad demise of Mr. Tod on Saturday 8th April 2006 at 9.05 pm BST.

Dog owners in Oxford could be fined under a new ruling for walking too many of their four-legged friends at the same time.

Under the Government's Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act, which comes into force next week, councils can hand out £75 fines for littering offences.

These include dog fouling, fly-tipping and dropping rubbish, chewing gum or cigarette butts in the street. Failure to pay the fines could mean prosecution.

Anyone caught walking a large number of dogs in a prohibited area, such as a park, could also be fined.

Defra spokesman David Burrows was unable to specify how many dogs the rule applies to. However, it is believed to be aimed at some professional dog walkers who do not exercise proper control of their animals or clean up after them.

He said: "Some try to walk seven or eight dogs at the same time and we've got a problem there with trying to clean up their poo. Secondly, if they're walking that many, they can't have control of their dogs.

"But it's entirely up to the local authority to enforce this."

Oxford City Council spokesman Louisa Dean said it had not yet decided whether enforcing fines on dog walkers would be necessary.

She added: "We are considering all the new powers and will use them to deal with local problems on a priority basis."

Jo Driver, of Pinnocks Way, Botley, owns four Chihuahuas, one mini-Dachshund, a German Shepherd and a Border Collie. She said it was unfair for dog walkers to be targeted because of the irresponsible behaviour of a minority.

She said: "I think if you've got a bunch of unruly dogs, I could consider that a bit of a problem. It does bring to light the issue of dog fouling on footpaths, which I find disgusting.

"But I don't feel it's right to put this across the board as there are a lot of responsible dog walkers out there who look after them, get them trained and are good citizens.

"It's the one or two that give the rest of us a bad name and make this kind of thing necessary."

Two full-time environmental enforcement officers will be recruited to enforce the penalties. They will patrol the city centre, where CCTV cameras will also be used to catch offenders.

Sharon Cosgrove, the council's strategic director for physical environment, said: "The city council invests significant sums in cleaning up and these new powers will help deal with this poor behaviour.

"The recent strike day showed how much litter my team has to clear up each day and ultimately this means an unnecessary cost for Oxford's tax payers. It is not enough that we continue to clear up this mess, we need to educate people and take action against persistent offenders."

The council is expected to approve the new powers at the meeting of its executive board on Monday.

Amendments To Animal Welfare Act
23:42pm Friday 31st March 2006

Pet rat owners across the country are invited to enter a Ratless Rat Show in celebration of World Rat Day on 4^th April.

The Ratless Rat Show is being run by Cavy Rescue – the UK ’s first dedicated rat rescue charity – and participants stand a chance of winning some fabulous ratty goodies for their four legged furry friends.

A special prize of a luxury new rat home worth £80 (courtesy of pet accessory manufacturer Savic and leading pet store Pets At Home) will also be awarded to the Rescue Rat of the Year.

A CAMPAIGN supported by Watford Labour MP Claire Ward to protect animal rights has passed another legislative hurdle in the House of Commons.

The Animal Welfare Bill which received its second reading on Tuesday proposes to prevent thousands of animals from suffering ongoing neglect and to strengthen requirements made of pet owners.

Last year, Ms Ward collected nearly 3,000 signatures in a petition urging the Government to press ahead with new legislation.

An article that will be of interest to all dog owners appeared in yesterdays (22/9/2005) newspaper - The New York Times - written by journalists Donald G. McNeil Jr. and Carin Rubenstein. The article refers to a new, and sometimes deadly, dog flu virus that has been detected in seven states in America and quotes Dr. Cynda Crawford, who is an immunologist at the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Crawford has been investigating the deaths of Greyhounds at a track in Jacksonville where fatalities in dogs who contracted the virus have been as high as 33%. The full article can be accessed using the link below.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/22/national/22canine.html

RSPCA concerned about falling standards of animal welfare in the UK

K9 magazine report on RSPCA concerns

8/6/2005

A County Durham man has been arrested after nearly 40 dead animals were found at a stables in Trimdon.

The bodies of around 20 horses, some dogs, several chickens and other animals were discovered at Bank Top Stables in Trimdon, County Durham, by RSPCA inspectors after being alerted by a concerned member of the public.

It has been difficult to precisely identify all the bodies because of the extent of decomposition and the estimated death toll is expected to rise as the premises are cleared and the remains examined in detail.

Three dogs were found alive -  two Border Collies and a Rottweieler. It is believed they may have survived on the carcasses of the other animals and some sacks of stored food.

The RSPCA is now cleaning out the property and preparing a case for prosecution.

For fuller reports - BBC - Guardian - Telegraph

Click on the above to visit 'The Meatrix' - An Educational Insight

This cartoon copyright to Londons Times Cartoons  by Rick London and reproduced here with kind permission.